Chapter 1

My daughter Anna Sullivan was rushed to the hospital after a car accident, but my husband, Nathan Sullivan, claimed he had a last-minute business trip and couldn't make it.

The very next day, I saw the news. He had been spotted out with his assistant, Emily Lane.

I stood outside the ICU, watching Anna through the glass, and called him to ask for a divorce.

The line went silent for half a second, but the voice that answered wasn't his.

It was Emily's. "Mr. Sullivan is in the shower. Would you like me to pass along a message?"

I hung up, took Anna, and disappeared from his world for good.

*****

Anna held on in the ICU for two weeks, but she didn't make it.

I watched them pull the white sheet over her body, and something inside me shut down. I just stood there, hollow, as I'd already stopped being alive too.

My parents caught the first flight out as soon as they heard and helped me handle everything.

Anna's funeral was small and quiet, mostly family and close friends.

But Nathan never showed up.

Before she died, Anna told me she wanted to see her daddy. She wanted him to take her to the amusement park.

But he never came. Not while she was dying, and not when we buried her.

After the last guests left, my mom walked up to me and grabbed my arm. "Where the hell is Nathan? From the accident to the funeral, he didn't show up once. Does he even deserve to call himself a father?"

I didn't answer.

The night of the accident, I had called Nathan right away.

But he said something had come up with work, and he couldn't get away. He told me he'd already arranged for the best doctors to look after Anna, and that he would come home the moment he was done.

But the very next day, I saw the news on TV.

Nathan and Emily had been spotted together on a yacht, holding hands and wrapped in each other's arms as if nobody else existed.

He had even set off fireworks across half the city for her, lighting up the entire coastline.

Everyone online was gushing with envy, but all I felt was a hollow ache in my chest.

I had seen it coming for a while. Ever since Emily joined the company as his new assistant, Nathan has found a way to bring her up every single day.

And the look on his face whenever he mentioned her name was one I recognized.

It was the same way he used to look at me back in college, when we were still madly in love.

When Anna was transferred to the ICU, I told myself she would be fine and that Nathan would come back tomorrow.

But the truth was, he never came back. Not even today.

Three days after Anna's funeral, I was packing up my things and hers, getting ready to move out of the house.

That was when Nathan finally walked through the door, and Emily was right there with him.

By then, nearly twenty days had passed since Anna's accident.

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of business trip takes twenty days.

Emily had her arm around Nathan to steady him, and his hand rested on her waist. They walked in together like a couple.

She eased him down onto the couch, then glanced at me with an awkward little smile.

She said, "Sorry, Mrs. Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan had a few too many drinks at a dinner tonight, so I had to bring him home myself."

Nathan sobered up just enough to look at me and snap, "Go make something for me and Emily to eat."

Emily waved her hands quickly. "Oh no, that's really not necessary."

Nathan didn't even blink. "She's got nothing better to do. That's basically her job around here."

I let out a sneer.

In all the years I had been married to Nathan, he had treated me like an unpaid housekeeper.

My entire life revolved around cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and taking care of him and Anna. Nothing else.

But before I married him, I had graduated top of my class from an elite university and worked my way up to a senior executive position.

The moment we married, I became Mrs. Sullivan, Anna's mom, and nothing more.

After Nathan asked twice, Emily stopped refusing. She turned to me and said, "Mrs. Sullivan, let me help you out in the kitchen."

I hadn't said a single word the entire time, but the two of them kept going back and forth like they were performing a comedy routine.

Nathan noticed my silence and saw that I hadn't moved. His expression darkened with irritation.

Before he could say anything, I walked over to the table, picked up the divorce papers, and held them out to him. "Sign the divorce papers. We'll file whenever you're free, and after that, we're done."

Nathan didn't even glance at them. He tossed the papers aside and said, "We'll talk about this later. Don't make a scene in front of company."

Emily's smile froze the second she heard Nathan call her "company." A flash of displeasure crossed her face.

But she quickly slipped back into her sweet, well-mannered act. "Mr. Sullivan, maybe I should head out."

Nathan looked at her and said, "Emily, you've been working hard these past few days. Take some time off at home before you go back to the office."

Emily didn't want to leave, but Nathan had already made himself clear, so she had no choice but to go.

I didn't react. I just turned back to Nathan and said, "Sign."

Nathan picked up the divorce papers, skimmed through a few lines, and tossed them aside again.

He said, "So that's why you've been job hunting the last couple of days. You actually meant it when you brought up the divorce."